Question

Read the passage below and answer the question that follows.

History, if viewed as a repository not merely of anecdotes or chronology, could produce a decisive transformation in the image of science by which we are now possessed. That image has previously been drawn, even by scientists themselves, mainly from the study of finished scientific achievements as these are recorded in the classics and, more recently, in the textbooks from which each new scientific generation learns to practice its trade.

Which of the following best summarizes the passage above?

• A. Scientific achievements are recorded in classics and textbooks.
• B. The history of science can be worked out from finished scientific achievements.
• C. Different ways of looking at history can produce altogether different knowledge.
• D. Textbooks may be biased.

Hint:

Look for the option that talks about how history is approached changing the resulting picture, not one that just repeats a detail from the passage.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

A summary question asks for the option that captures the passage's central claim, not a detail borrowed from a single sentence. The passage's core claim is that treating history as more than a list of facts and dates could change our current picture of science.

1. Scientific achievements are recorded in classics and textbooks: true as a detail, but it only describes where today's image of science comes from, it says nothing about the change the author is proposing.
2. History of science can be worked out from finished scientific achievements: again this only restates the source of the current image, not the author's real argument that a different approach to history could transform that image.
3. Looking at history in different ways can produce very different pictures of science: this is exactly the author's point, treating history as a repository, not just anecdotes or chronology, can produce a "decisive transformation" in how we see science.
4. Textbooks may be biased: this is never argued in the passage, the author only says textbooks are one place the current image is drawn from.

Since three of the four options only pick up a side detail or an idea not present in the passage, the option about different ways of viewing history producing different knowledge is the only one that summarizes the full argument.

Let's summarize:

• A summary must cover the passage's main idea, not just a fact mentioned in passing.
• The author's real point is that how we treat history, not just what facts it holds, shapes our picture of science.

The correct option is the one stating that different ways of looking at history can produce different knowledge.